Chinese E-Commerce Sites Allow
Small Firms to Reach Wider Base

BEIJING -- When Li Bo began producing memento buttons in 1998, he reckoned his three-man operation would sell mostly to tourist-site operators nearby.

Then he registered his company with Alibaba.com, a Chinese Internet company that specializes in introducing manufacturers and buyers across China and around the world. A Chinese trading company more than 1,240 miles from Mr. Li's base in Shenyang saw the listing and ordered 200,000...